March 30, 2022 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a second booster dose of either the Pfizer or the Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for individuals 50 years and older and certain immunocompromised individuals. Following this, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its clinical recommendations to include the following:
- A second booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine may be administered to individuals 50 years of age and older at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
- A second booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine may be administered to certain immunocompromised individuals (see below) 12 years of age and older at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
- A second booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered to certain immunocompromised individuals 18 years of age and older at least 4 months after the first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
- In addition, adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months ago may now receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
Immunocompromised individuals include people with a range of conditions, such as recipients of organ or stem cell transplants, people with advanced or untreated HIV infection, recipients of active treatment for cancer, people who are taking some medications that weaken the immune system, and others. A full list of conditions can be found on CDC’s website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html.
Individuals who are immunocompromised or 50 years of age and older may discuss with their health care provider whether getting a second booster dose is appropriate for them. If their health care provider is not at a site administering vaccines, these individuals can self-attest and receive the second booster dose wherever vaccines are offered.
Resources:
- Updated Pfizer Emergency Use Authorization fact sheet
- Updated Moderna Emergency Use Authorization fact sheet
Texas Department of State Health Services
Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message.
